Circuit-controller.



A. G. LIVBRMORE.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 16, 1911.

997,397. Patented July 11,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTOR Y.

A. G. LIVERMORE.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

APPLIGATIOK nun MAR. 16. 1911.

997,397. Patented July 11, 1911.

3 EHEETB-BHEET 2.

WITNESSES: [NV TOR.

' N M. Z

I BY

A. G. LIVBRMOEE.

VCIIBUUIT CONTROLLER. uruouxon mum MAR. 16. 1911.

Patented July 11, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. 1 VENTOR.

, is clain s.

(In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 aerating. Lrvnnmoan, or nnenwoon BORQUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE M onion SWITCH ,& SIGNAL COMPANY, or SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A conrom- {tion ,OFrEnNSYLVANIA.

Be 'itylt-nown. that I, ARTHUR C. LIVER- MOR1l CIlZ lZEH of the United States, residingm the borough of Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvan'ia,"haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Circuit Controllers, of which th following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to circuit controllers lo operated conjointl y by switch operating niecihan'isms and by switch rails. 4 -"I W1ll describeone form of circuit controller embodyingmy invention, and then point out the novel features thereof in is a plan view showing a railway switch, an operating mechanism therefor, and a circu1t"'c0ntroller embodying my invention.

Fig; 2 is a plan view showing on an enlarged scale a portion of the operating "aiiechzinism shown in-Fig. 1, including the ifcirt iuiteontroller,the cover for the circuit Qcontroller being removed. Fig. 3 is a view bhowiifi'g"in.'side elevation, partly sectioned,

sthea pparatus shown in Fig. 2. Figs'e and 5 area lanview and side elevation refjspbctively showingin detail a cam device "s own *in Figs. 2 and 3 and comprised in wjia circuit controller embodying my invention.

"@Siiriilar reference characters refer to simiilarfpa i'ts throughout the several views.

@ne feature' of a circuit controller embodying my invention is the provision of :i a o .lt tin,

ositively moving the contacting i the device into and out of'posi- Qt the movablerails' of the switch are in treme position of their stroke; and for EPOSIQI, 'elyholdingjsuch contacting members i. are not in an extreme position or. their optic engagemen t,when the "movable rails .t 615e, so that atsuch times all circuits-conthe circuit controller are held tfl i Referring. now t o 1, the reference news a railway switch, the

mdvahleirails 0 which are operated by a operating? mechanism B through the medium of an operating rod C. The operating. mechanisin B may be of a type such 1 as ,'.is,'s hown.and described in United States is. Patent N 329,643, granted to J. T.

on ,NovmbeiZ-3 18 85, although '1 for engagement according to whether 7 P n e ,Jei 1 1 ,ia 4- CIRCUIT-CONTROLLER itetiei tqii a r tter it t s? In; at Application filed March 16,1911. Serial No. 614,911.

"1T0 all whom it may concern:

do not desire to limit myself to this particular type of mechanism, it being undere stood that a circuit controller embodying my invention may be employed in connection with any switch operating mechanism. The switch operating mechanism B is actuated by a suitable motor, here shown as being a pneumatic motor device D comprising a cylinder 10 whose piston is operathatbar, as fully explained in the above mentioned Patent No. 329,643. A E designates a lock rod secured to the movable switch rails and adapted to be locked by'the o crating mechanism B in a usual and wellnown manner.

-F designates a circuit controller .embodyin my invention. As here shown, this circuit controller comprises two sets of oppositely located contact springs 15 and 16, each set comprising twopairs of springs, and each pair comprising an upper and a lower spring. s

17 designates acont-acting member or bridging member carried by an operating bar 11 and adapted to electrically connect the two contact springs of each pair in one set or the other according to whether the operating mechanism is in one extreme position of its movement or the other. Although I have here shown two pairs of contact springs in each set, I do not wish to limit myself to this particular; number. In fact any desired number of pairs.mayc be employed according to the number -0fC1l cuits to be controlled; if desirable, only one set of springs may be employed, so located that they will be engaged by the contacting jmemberl't' when the operating vmechanism is in one extremeposition of its movement.

In order to control-the signal or 'other circuits by the actual position of the sw tch contacting member 17 according to uhether or not the switch rails are in an extreme position of their stroke. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, one of the contact springs of each pair, here shown as being the upper s ring, is mounted in a block 18 or 19 of insu ating material, which blocks are rigidly secured to the framework of the circuit controlling device. tact spring of each pair is mounted in a block 20 or 21,015 insulating material, the block 20 being mounted on an arm 34 carried by a. rocking shaft 22, and the block 21 being similarly mounted on an arm 35 carried by a rocking shaft 23.

36 designates an arm secured to the rocking shaft 22, to which arm is pinned a link 26. Similarly '37 designates an arm secured to rocking shaft 23, to which arm is pinned a link 27. These links 26 and 27 are both connected with a rocker arm 28 pivoted at a point 29. The lower end of rocker arm 28 carries a dog 24 which coacts with a cam This cam is rigidly connected "with the switch rails by a'bar H (see Fig. 1), and may be constructed in a manner such as I will now describe.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that the cam 25 coniprises the bar H and a plate 29 fastened together bymeans of bolts 30. The plate 29 1s provided with a" suitable slot 32, and the bar H with a suitable slot 33, which slots are so cut as to accommodate the dog 24 and to move this dog in one direction or the other according to whether or not the switch rails are in an extreme position of their stroke. The bolt holes in the plate 29 are elongated to form slots 31 by means of which the plate may be ad'usted relatively to the bar H in order to a just the cam, to effect the proper movements of the dog 24 according to the length of the stroke of the switch rails.

The operation of the cam 25 and the dog 24 is as follows: When the switch rails are in one extreme" position or the other of their stroke, the dog 24 is held by cam surfaces a, in which position the movable contact springs in the sets 15 and 16 are held in position for engagement with the conta cting member 17. This position-of the parts is shown in Fi 2 and 3. When, however, the switch reds are moved a small distance away from one of their extreme positions, the dog 24 is immediately moved ,by cam surface 6, by which movement the movable contact springs are rocked out of position for enga ement with the contacting menr ber 17; s long asthe switch rails are not in one of their extreme positions, the contact springs are positively held in this nonengagmg osition by the engagement of cam face 0 wit the dog 24. One of the important features of my invention is this positive movement of the contact springs into and The other conout of engaging position, and the positive holding of the contact sprin s out of engaging position while the switch rails are not in an extreme position of their stroke.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that any circuits which may be controlled by the contact springs 15 and 16 will be closed only when the movable switch rails are in. an extreme position of their stroke, and that a very slight displacement of these movable rails from such extreme positions will effect an opening of all circuits controlled by the contact springs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a switch rail a. switch operating mechanism connected therewith; a circuit controller comprising a contact spring, a contacting member operatively connected with the switch operating mechanism and adapted to engage with the contact spring when the said operating mechanism is in one extreme position of its movement; and means operatively connected with the switch rail for moving the contact spring into and out of position for enga ement with the contacting member according to whether or not the switch rail is in an extreme position of its stroke.

2. p In combination, a switch rail; 0. switch operating mechanism connected therewith; a circuit controller comprising a pair of 'contact springs, a contacting member oper- .atively connected with the switch operating mechanism and adapted to enga c with the contact springs when the said mec anism is in one extreme position of its movement; and means operatively c'onnected with the switch rail for movin one of the contact ment with the contactin member according to whether or not the switch rail is in an extreme position of its stroke.

operating mechanism connected therewith; a circuit controller comprising two oppositely arranged sets of contact 5 rings each set having a plurality/of pairs 0 springs, a contacting member operatively connectedtreme position of its stroke.

operating mechanism connected therewith; a circuit controller comprising a contact spring, a contacting member .operatively connected with the switch operating mechasprings into and out of position for engage- 105 with the switch operating mechanism and 4. In combination, a switch rail a switch- 3. In combination, a switch rail a switch nism and adapted to engage with the contact spring when the said mechanism is in one extreme position of its movement; means operatively connected with the switch rail for holding the contact spring in position for engagement with the contacting member when the switch rail is in an extreme position of its stroke, and for holding the contact spring out of position for engagement with the contacting member when the switch rail is not'in an extreme position of its stroke.

5. In combination, a switchrail; a switch operating mechanism connected therewith; a circuit controller comprising a contacting member operatively connected with the operating mechanism, a rocking shaft, a contact spring carried thereby; and mechanism interposed between the switch rail and the rocking shaft and operated by the switch rail for rocking the contact spring into and out of position for engagement with the contacting member according 'to whether or not the switch rail is in an extreme position of its stroke.

6. In combination, a switch rail; a switch operating mechanism connected therewith; a circuit controller comprisin a contacting member operatively connected with the operating mechanism, a rocking shaft, a contact spring carried thereby; a cam device connected with the switch rail, a rocker arm, a dog carried by the rocker arm and coactin with the cam device, and a link connecting the rocker arm with the rocking shaft.

7. In combination, a switch rail; a switch operatin mechanism operatively connected therewitfi; a circuit controller comprising a rocking shaft, a contact spring carrled thereby, a contacting member operatively connected with the switch operating mechanism and adapted to engage with the contact spring when the said mechanism is in an extreme position of its movement; and mechanism interposed between the switch rail and the rocking shaft and operated by the switch rail for rocking the contact spring into and out of position for engagement with the contacting member according to whether or not the switch rail is in an extreme position of its stroke.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR C. LIVERMORE.

Witnesses:

A. L. VENCILL, I. J. HARTER. 

